


leaving the labyrinth.

by orphan_account



Category: The Maze Runner (2014), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: AU, Foster home, M/M, Newmas - Freeform, One shot?, Running Away, anyway, domestic AU, foster!newt, newmas fic, newtmas - Freeform, newtmas fic, probably gonna be a sequel., series?, tmr - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 05:57:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2762198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt is leaving town tonight on the train, forever, and there is nothing Thomas can do to stop him.</p>
<p>Can he let him leave? Or will Thomas finally break his ties to his town and leave with him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	leaving the labyrinth.

   As the book closed, so did the story, and Thomas sighed as the snippets of images and sound that he’d glimpsed at within the book faded away. He stared at it’s cover, his eyes skimming the title. “Dream…” He murmured. _Doesn’t really help me._ Reality had taken hold again.

 

   It was a snowy December night, and Thomas sighed, running a hand through his short brown hair. He glanced over at the digital clock on his bedside table, groaning. _11:38? Another night. I’ll be alright. I’ve survived with an hour of sleep before._ Scoffing at himself, he laid the book down on the table, throwing himself onto his pillow and staring up at his ceiling. His desklamp threw curved shadows across its surface, illuminating a collage of posters, stitched together with reflective scotch tape. Oceans, beaches, towering cities and faraway lands. It was all there, a world spread above him.

 

    _But I can’t reach it._ Pursing his lips, Thomas rolled to the side, leaving the depressing images behind and swinging his legs off the bed. _No need to go there now. It’s late. It’ll keep me up._ He assured himself, though some secret part of him was sure there wouldn't sleeping tonight. Staring out the window, Thomas met the same image he’d looked at for years. Rows and rows of houses identical to his own lined the plowed streets, each driveway shoveled and dark in the snow. The tree outside his window hung thin, frosted branches, some of their long fingers scraping against the glass.

 

   Faintly, Thomas made out his own reflection, and he studied his face, his eyebrows furrowing. He wasn’t the most handsome person, he figured. Hazel eyes stared back at him, as if his reflection had developed it’s own personality and was peering at him with a slight distaste. Thomas turned round, shaking his head, leaving his reflection caught in the mazes of a snowy suburbia.

 

   Suddenly, there was a soft plink on his windowpane, and Thomas whirled to face the window, raising an eyebrow. What was that…? The silence stretched for a few seconds, and Thomas almost turned away, believing it was the tree, when another plink sounded from the glass. He squinted, approaching the glass. Just as he looked outside, another thing hit right in front of his nose, causing him to flinch back. “W-What?” He yelped, pushing the window up and sweeping his gaze across the driveway. “Who-”

 

   “Hey, Tommy!” Thomas looked down into the snow, blinking in surprise. “Newt?” A boy stood in the snow, waving. A red hat was pulled over dirty blonde hair that hung slightly over his brown eyes, his hand stuffed into the pocket of his winter coat. Grinning, he beckoned to Thomas. “Come down already! It’s cold.”

 

   “Wait, right now?”

 

   “No, I’ll just stand here and wait for you overnight. Yes, right now! C’mon!” Newt rolled his eyes, shoving his other hand into his pocket and bouncing on this toes.

 

   Thomas scratched his head. “Fine, fine…” He grumbled. Rummaging through his closet, he threw on his jacket, going to the window again. “Wait, my parents are downstairs. What do I do?”

 

   “Just…” Newt paused, scratching his own head and studying the tree. “The tree. Come down the tree.” The idea almost sounded like a question.

 

   “The tree? Are you kidding me?”

 

   “No…?”

 

   Thomas opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut, groaning inwardly. _You are so lucky you’re my best friend._ Opening his window wider, Thomas studied the frosty tree apprehensively, gripping the windowsill. _I’ve got this. Totally got this._ Thomas slowly maneuvered himself out of his room, setting his foot down on the first notch in a thick branch. He then put his second foot down, feeling some ice crack under his weight. He paused, setting his jaw. “If I break my neck, I swear, I’ll haunt you ‘till eternity.” Foot over foot, he inched downwards. Finally, he let go, thumping on the layer of snow at the bottom.

 

   “There we go! Wasn’t so hard, was it?” Newt pulled Thomas up, clapping him on the back.Thomas scoffed, hitting the back of his head lightly. “Hey!”

 

   “Alright, Newt. It’s almost 12 am. What’s up?” Thomas squinted at him, confused. Newt and Thomas had been friends for years, since Thomas moved in with his aunt years before. Newt lived in a foster home in Rowe, with a group of boys around their age. The house and Newt’s foster home became interchangeable, visiting becoming a routine. What was strange was the time. _He’d never come this late if he didn’t think it was serious. He shouldn’t even be out right now_. Newt paused, casting his eye towards the street again. Thomas knew this look- of stars and dreams that would never come true.

 

   “Remember in school, when we talked about running away from here? From Glade?” He glanced at Thomas, his eyebrows quirked up and his grin barely masked.

 

   “Yeah. But that was months ago. Why ask about it now?” They’d always kid around about running away from Glade, leaving the town to see new sights. It'd always seemed a dream, though Thomas couldn’t shake the freedom he felt when he imagined leaving, starting a new life somewhere else, free from the labyrinth of streets.

 

   “Well, I’ve been thinking… And preparing,” Newt trailed off for a moment, rocking on the balls of his heels.

 

   “Newt… You’re not saying-”

 

   “Hell yes I’m saying it!” Newt swung his arm out. A backpack now hung in his grasp, bulky and full. Thomas’ eyes widened.

 

   “You’re kidding, right?” Strangely, he felt no horror- instead, a great excitement kindled within him.

 

   “Absolutely not. Tommy. We can leave tonight. There’s a train at 1:00 in the morning. We can go. I have everything.” The smile broke free, like a dam of childish glee it spread across his face, lighting up the night.

 

   “Holy- Newt!” Thomas yelled, a breathless laugh escaping him. Incredulity made his head spin. Was it possible? _Could we really…?_

 

   “I know! No more of this town. This life. The two of us, on the road- Bonnie and Clyde. Seriously. I have your supplies in my room. Money, clothes, food- all of it. Even a possible job out in Indiana. I’ve been planning, man. Weeks. Bloody weeks.”

 

   “You’re really serious, aren’t you?” Thomas blinked at his friend, his shock fading. _Maybe it is possible._

 

   “Really. I’m excited Tommy. I am. I’m getting on that train tonight. I’m doing it.” The sun seemed trapped in his smile as he looked up at the blank sky, letting out a cloud of breath that rose to meet the stars.

 

   But though in that moment Thomas could feel the universe at his fingertips, a strange weight sat in his stomach. “I am too. We’ll leave tonight.”

 

*  *  *

 

   12:45. The junction was abandoned, the air silent and heavy. Cleanly cut train tracks poked up through the layer of snow, outlining the path they'd soon follow. Towering, leafless trees stretched their branches towards the moon, hiding the junction in half shadow.

 

   Thomas shivered in the cold, burrowing his hands deeper into his jacket. The wind threatened to pick out the stitching of the fabric, it’s spindly fingers burrowing inside of him.  He hefted the bag up onto his shoulder again, the hill up to the junction making it’s weight seem heavier. _We’re really doing this.This is happening._  They stopped, the silence blanketing the clearing and filling his ears.  

 

   Newt checked his watch. “12:50. The train is going to pass here in a few minutes. You’ve got to be ready to jump, alright? Bags on. You start off running, and you run until you can’t breathe, got that? Then you grab the bar, and you swing yourself in the cargo door. If we miss it…”

 

   “Are you sure about this, Newt? Train hopping’s illegal…”

 

   “It’s the only way to get there quickly. I don’t have a car - none of us do at the foster home - and your only car is your aunt’s. This is the only way. Besides. We hopped trains in sophomore year. We know how to do it. Just don’t worry.” Newt nodded at him, his face concealing his thoughts only slightly. _He’s worrying too._ Thomas blinked , turning back to look at the tracks. _We either make it… or we don’t._

 

   “Newt, I’m not so sure about this.”

 

   “What? What do you mean? You were all for it an hour ago. What’s up with you now?”

 

   “It’s just- I’ll be leaving my aunt alone. What’ll she do when we leave?” Thomas said weakly, pointedly staring away from Newt.

 

   But Newt wasn’t having any of it. “Tommy you’re seventeen. Eighteen in four months. It’s time you start moving on-”

 

   “Moving on from what? My parents? This town? I’ll never move on from my family.”

 

   “That’s not what I meant. You know that isn’t what I meant-”

 

   “Look, this trip is great and all, but how long did you think we would play this game? You must’ve known that this wouldn’t work. We can’t do this.”

 

   “Why not? There’s nothing here Tommy. It’s just a little town-”

 

   “You know what, Newt? Just because you’re stuck in a world of fiction doesn’t mean I am!” Cold washed over Thomas’ spine as the words tumbled from his lips, too fast to catch. _No. Wait, I didn’t mean that._ But it was too late. Newt’s face went blank, his eyes locking onto Thomas’. Thomas stumbled over his speech, panicking. “Newt, I didn’t-”

 

   “Damn you.” Newt turned around, stalking away from where Thomas stood. He ran a hand through his hair, but his other shook. Thomas followed after him.

 

   “Listen, Newt, I didn’t mean it. I was being an idiot-”

 

   “No, you know what? I don’t need this. I don’t need you acting like my nonexistent parents. It’s none of your business. I definitely don’t need a wuss on this trip. Just go back to your aunt.” Newt snarled, whipping around to face Thomas. Barely contained anger burnt in his brown eyes like coals, ready to burn down his world if he had to.

 

   “Please, Newt. Not tonight. We can leave another time. Just not now.”

 

   “You don’t understand!” Suddenly, Newt was in front of him, and Thomas was in the snow, his chest aching from the rough shove. “I can’t stand this place anymore! The same streets, the same people, the same life- I can’t stay sane! I have nothing keeping me here. I need to get out of here, Tommy. To start somewhere else. The looks people give me when they realize I live in a foster home, that I have no parents- its hard! It’s so damn hard here, and I don’t want to live in a  place like this anymore. I can’t stay, even another night, because days will stretch to weeks, and weeks to months, and months into my whole damn life. I’m getting out of here. I’m leaving this labyrinth.”

 

   Shellshocked, Thomas watched as Newt readied himself at the beginning of the tracks, unable to see his face. Rumbling began in the earth, vibrating up into his arms. Somehow, this information didn’t register, and still, he stared at Newt, unable to move. _What do I do? I can’t just let him leave, I’ve got to stop him…_ But then, Newt glanced behind him, and a myriad of grief blazed there in his eyes, his face set in stone. Thomas’ breath hitched, everything suddenly clicking into place.

 

   "I can't let him leave..."

  
  


_16_

_Thomas takes his aunt’s car for it’s first drive, Newt riding in the passenger seat. The scenery rushes by the window too fast, the music blasting too loud to speak. It feels like these smiles will never go away._

_15_

_Newt is dumped by his first girlfriend. Thomas is there while he sulks, giving him the crutch he needs. Though Newt is a complete grump, eventually they get over it with some ice cream and mystery flicks (Newt’s favorite.)_

_14_

_Newt gets called an ‘orphan’ and a 'fag' in school, and Thomas is the first to stalk up to the bully, punching him straight in the jaw. Thomas gets a detention, the boy leaves with a collection of bruises and a hurt ego. Newt is never teased again. Thomas is proud._

_11_

_Thomas receives his first game console for the holidays. Newt comes by the next day, and they camp in, pillow forts crumbling as they delve into the world of graphics._

_8_

_Thomas has his first birthday party in Rowe, but only one person comes. Newt and Thomas eat cake alone, their spirits never dampened. Nothing could dampen birthday cake._

_7_

_Newt invites Thomas to the foster home for the first time. He’s fast friends with every boy there, but Newt never fades. Sometimes, Thomas doesn’t want to leave._

_6_

_A small boy with messy blonde hair is playing with a bright yellow ball in the courtyard of Rowe’s Foster Home for Boys and Girls, the winter chill just beginning to wane into a light spring warmth. Suddenly, the ball bounces away, and the boy gasps, running after it on short legs. It rolls outside, under a hole in the fence. The boy, determined, sprints around to the front gate, pleading for the attendant to take him to the ball. She agrees, and they venture out together. The boy jogs ahead, searching. Nowhere to be found, he almost turns back, when he bumps into another boy about his height, with short brown hair and hazel eyes._

_“I saw you drop your ball. I caught it.” The stranger says, blinking at the boy._

_“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without it,” He smiles a wide, goofy smile, and he receives the ball, the yellow playing on his skin like a small sun. The boy sticks out his hand. “I’m Newt. Let’s be friends.”_

_“I’m Thomas, and I’d like that.” The other boy grins, shaking his hand._

  
  


   “I can’t let him leave alone!” Thomas whispered, scrambling to his feet. Just as he’d balanced himself, the train burst from the forest, a wall of shrieking metal and lights. He almost jumped back, but squinted ahead at Newt through the maelstrom of ice and snow. “Newt! Wait!” He shouts, but the boy was unable to hear him. Newt turned one last time, staring at Thomas. “You either come with me, or you don’t! I won’t judge you either way, but you will not stop me from getting on that train,” He yells above the noise, glancing at the train every couple seconds. “Just in case…” He grins at him, the smile a sea of melancholy. Then, he turned, waving once. “Goodbye, Tommy!”

 

   “Newt!” But his friend had already begun walking, watching the train. Newt’s face was taut with concentration. Thomas looked behind him. If he didn’t jump soon, he’d miss the train. _What are you doing, Newt?_ Then, a realization hit him like the monster of steel and sound that snaked next to him. _You’re stalling… You’re stalling!_ “You idiot, run! Run, go Newt, go!” He screamed, and his friend set off, his shoes kicking up billowing clouds of ice. As if tugged into action, Thomas started forward as well, his feet pounding against the ground. Ahead of him, Newt neared the side of the train, reaching out his arm. Then, on a wide, navy blue cargo car, he latched on, bringing his foot up onto the ledge. He was safe.

 

   But Thomas could feel himself faltering. _What if I don’t make it?_ Already, his breath is shivering in his lungs, and he gasped for fresher air, coming up with nothing but stale snow. All sound seems to have stopped, leaving only the quickening pace of his heart and the pounding of his feet.   _I… I can’t…_

 

   “Thomas!” A shout pierced through his waning hope, and Thomas glanced up, seeing Newt. He'd shifted his position on the train, now holding on just in front of him on the side of an open car, stretching out his arm as far as he could. Shock tore through Thomas. _He’s…_ “C’mon, Tommy!” Newt screamed. “Run until you can’t breathe! Do it! Keep going!” Thomas pushed, straining every muscle he had. He knows he has seconds until his legs shut down, and then Newt will be gone forever. “Reach for my hand!”

   Thomas stretched his arm out, gritting his teeth. _So… Close…_ He shoved one more time, putting all of his strength into grabbing Newt’s hand.   _This is it._

 

   Then, there was a strong, warm grip amongst the brisk wind, and Thomas was pulled onto the ledge, and shoved into the car. They tumbled into the darkness, hitting the floor hard. Newt groans, but Thomas stared at the ceiling, his vision clearing.

 

   “We… We made it…” Thomas rasped, his arms splayed out at his sides.

 

   His friend glanced over at him, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You actually… I thought I’d have to leave without you.”

 

   “Idiot. Friends…  don’t split. Besides. You wouldn’t…  survive a month…  without me.” He puffed out, struggling into a sitting position.

 

   Issac laughed, the sound filling the whole car. “Yeah right. I’d be golden.”

 

   Then, almost impulsively, Thomas leans forward, connecting his lips with Newt's, his pulse roaring in his ears. For a second, Newt freezes, and Thomas wonders if he's made a mistake, but then Newt's fingers wander up his neck, tugging him closer. For a few seconds, they stay that way, and it's passionate. Warm. Right. Then, they both pull away, and Newt stares, his brown eyes bright and full of something Thomas doesn't quite comprehend yet. But it doesn't matter. _We have time._

   “I’d like... to see that.” Thomas says quietly, smiling ever so slightly as he stares out of the car's door and into the world beyond.

 

*  *  *

  
  


_17_

_The tracks rumble underneath the car, slowly melting into a constant, steady rhythm that fills both days and nights unnoticed. The countryside passes by in flashes- stretches of snowy land, pine forests that never seemed to age. The days are spent telling stories, talking, and sleeping. Glade is far behind them._

_For the first time in years, Thomas looks within himself and finds nothing to despise. For the first time in years, Issac stares outside and sees new lands, to see, to hear, to taste. They are content. Suburban Rowe is far behind them, and only opportunity lies ahead._

_The maze is gone, and for the first time in years, they feel beautifully, impossibly, astoundingly free._

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I REWROTE THE MAZE SO ITS BETTER I HOPE
> 
> anywayyy
> 
> ( my babies are together yes yes )
> 
> leave comments and kudos, if you'd like! I appreciate it. c:


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